Models and algorithms for solving combined vehicle and crew scheduling problems with rest constraints : an application to road feeder service planning in air cargo transportation

We present a mathematical model and two algorithms for solving a complex combined vehicle and crew scheduling problem. The problem arises in the area of road feeder service (RFS) for air cargo transportation where cargo airlines engage specifically equipped RFS–carriers to serve so–called lines, i.e. regular weekly patterns of trips starting and ending at the central hub, respectively. The complexity of the problem stems from the time windows, the rest regulations for drivers and the highly heterogenous requirements with respect to the fleet. The model can be applied to different planning scenarios at the RFS–carrier as well as the airline. The model and method has been incorporated into a decision support system called ‘block.buster’ where sequences of single trips are combined to feasible blocks starting and ending at the hub and then combined to feasible vehicle round trips.